Catering Scotland

The Scottish Government’s resource-efficiency body, Zero Waste Scotland, is urging Scots to reuse and recycle wrapping paper and packaging where possible, in order to avoid overflowing bins after Christmas.

With all the extra wrapping and packaging around at Christmas – and recent research revealing that up to two-thirds of Scots are still unsure about how to recycle – there’s a great opportunity to re-use what we can and recycle what’s left.

Here are some handy tips to avoid a paper pile-up in your bin this Boxing Day.

Re-use:

• Gift bags, boxes and wrapping paper are easy to re-use – unwrap carefully, remove tape and tags, and keep them give to different friends or family next year

• Consider the Japanese tradition of furoshiki – wrapping gifts in re-usable fabric

• If you do use wrapping paper and want to re-use it then buy good quality paper which is less likely to tear

• Save torn wrapping paper, tags, bows etc for rainy day arts projects with the kids

• Switch to e-cards when sending Christmas cards, and re-use received Christmas cards as shopping lists by tearing them in half

Recycle:

• Check with your council if they will collect wrapping paper with your household recycling collection

•  Visit  http://www.recycleforscotland.com/bank-locator  to find your nearest recycling centre

• When recycling paper, remember to remove all tape, tags, bows and ribbons

• Good quality, plain wrapping paper is more likely to be accepted for recycling.  Paper that is laminated or contains glitter or metallic effects is less likely to be accepted

• Many retailers offer Christmas card recycling services in their store

Give Gadgets a New Lease of Life this Christmas

And with so many gadgets being given this Christmas, Zero Waste Scotland is highlighting that old electrical and electronic items can have a life well beyond the festive period, even if you’ve finished with them yourselves.

Electrical items such as phones, tablets, kitchen equipment, stereos and radios use up huge amounts of natural resources to make, and as Christmas approaches Zero Waste Scotland is calling on people with items they no longer want to sell or donate them to help keep them in use.

Re-using items is much more environmentally friendly than recycling them. Revolve businesses (which meet Scotland’s national re-use quality standard) in Scotland alone saved 1,400 tonnes of carbon last year by re-using electrical goods. That’s equivalent to taking 443 cars off the road for a year.

Here’s Zero Waste’s Scotland’s guide to reusing your old electrical items:

• Don’t give up at the first sign of damage or at what you think is an irreparable problem. There is a wide range of repair businesses, or websites that can help out, whether it’s a phone or a music device that’s not working properly, like  ifixit.com (where guides and resources are free)http://www.ifixit.com/Info

• Some simple maintenance can help prevent problems with your existing IT equipment: keep computers and gadgets dust-free and away from the floor; remove and delete old files regularly; install virus software and perform regular scans

• Many stores now offer take-back of used electricals and electronics. Ask your retailer for details

• Sell any unwanted electrical or electronic devices via ebay or Gumtree

• Call the National Re-Use phone line on 0800 0665 820 for advice on what to do with small electrical items. Fridges and washing machines can be picked-up for free and re-used

• There are 24 re-use businesses accredited across Scotland, with a total of 32 stores between them. You can find a local, Revolve-accredited store at www.revolvereuse.com

• If you have smaller unwanted electrical items that can’t be repaired, visit www.recycleforscotland.com where you can find information on re-use centres

• If you’re storing items for re-use, make sure you keep them indoors.

Revolve-accredited businesses in Scotland are also encouraged Scots to donate or repair their old gadgets and gizmos this festive season.

• Motherwell-based LAMH Recycle Ltd is a Revolve-accredited social enterprise with charitable status that provides training and employment opportunities for people with mental ill health. It offers PC sales and service, can recycling and training.

Businesses like Motherwell-based LAMH Recycle can help. Operations Manager Joe Fulton said: ‘Every year, particularly at this time, thousands of perfectly good pieces of computer equipment are either thrown out or consigned to gather dust in lofts or garages.

‘We repair and refurbish much of this equipment for reuse in the local community, whether by local voluntary groups or low-income households who are not able to afford High Street prices for new computers and electronic devices.

‘We find good homes for unwanted equipment and, in most cases, these can be homes which have previously been priced out of this particular product range.’

For more information about recycling or reusing your equipment, visit www.zerowastescotland.org